Top Online Universities

by Debra Valdez

Inclusion Criteria Used to Rank Top Online Universities

In rating top online universities, quantitative, reliable metrics with information from reliable third parties was used. Some of the sources used include:

  • DETC — all institutions of higher learning accredited by the Distance Education and Training Council are principally distance learning based.
  • E.Leaners.com – This website provides a rich catalogue of online schools
  • Peterson’s Distance Learning and Online Degree Programs Search – This website provides information of all regionally accredited online colleges otherwise not found on eLearners.com and DETC.
  • The process of rating Top Online Universities then narrowed down the list of schools from the above-mentioned sources based on these criteria:-
  • The institution has to be accredited
  • The college has to feature in College Navigator
  • If the institution is campus-based, 50% of its undergraduate degree granting programs must be offered online
  • The institution must offer more than one undergraduate degree-granting program online

Learn more about Top Online Universities.

Metrics Used To Rank the Top Online Universities

With all metrics considered equal, metrics used to rank the colleges included:-

  • Student-faculty ratio – Its obvious that the lower the student-faculty ratio, the more the learner will be able to grasp the subject matter thus the lower the ratio, the high the attraction to the school.
  • Acceptance Rate – the prestige and general quality of an institution is partly determined by its selectivity upon which the rate of acceptance is a good indicator.
  • Financial assistance – it’s obvious that financial assistance is of very high priority to most learners thus the higher the rate of financial aid extended, the more attractive the college becomes.
  • Peer Web Citations – this acts as an alternative for an institution’s relative status compared to other colleges. By use of a reliable search engine like Yahoo, it was established the number of times an institution’s website is linked to other institution’s websites.
  • Graduation Rate – this indicates the success of students reaching their educational needs and goals
  • Scholarly Citations – another widely-recognized indicator is the amount of citations from scholars. A college is as good as its faculty and student hence scholarly citations help judge the quality, quantity, and relevance of the education offered.